EU Approves Iran Oil Imports Ban

EU foreign ministers formally agree to an oil embargo against Iran, as Western powers reinforce their naval presence in the region.

President Obama Unveils Smaller Military

The US military will become “leaner” as it switches focus to the Asia-Pacific region, President Barack Obama has announced.

How the Defense Review Will Impact US Foreign Policy

Anchor Marco Werman discusses national security experts Peter Feaver and Juliette Kayyem what the defense cuts will mean for foreign policy.

Pentagon Reportedly Considers Major Budget Cuts

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is looking at making major cuts to the defense budget, according to the New York Times.

Restaurants Near the Pentagon Feel the Hurt

With the Congressional Super Committee’s failure to come to an agreement, the military now has to cut some $500 billion from its budget, over the next 10 years. Those cuts could also hurt the stores and restaurants near the Pentagon that cater to the military.

How Military Cuts Could Impact the Economy

The work of the so-called Congressional Super committee appears headed for failure. Now, $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts to government spending are slated to happen. The big loser is the Pentagon – but besides the military readiness debate, there’s also an economic debate: How might slashing the military budget impact the wider economy?

Pentagon Budget Cuts Will Have ‘Dire Consequences’

Military leaders have warned Congress on Wednesday that steeper cuts in defense spending will gut the armed forces and sap US global influence.

The High Number of Suicides Among Active Military Service Members and Veterans

A new report out this week focuses on a serious problem for the Pentagon: the high number of suicides among active military service members and veterans. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Kathy Kilcoyne, whose 25 year old son Colin — a veteran of the war in Iraq — took his own life in January.

9/11: When America Crossed a Threshold

Reflecting on the changes in the American society since 9/11.

Trimming the Defense Budget, Tea Party Style

Many Republicans are shuddering at the idea of deep cuts in the military but how does the Tea Party feel?

The battle to own Bin Laden’s story

Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, a new battle has begun: the rhetorical fight to frame his legacy. The White House got off to a bad start, with its initial claims about the circumstances of the killing. We offer two stabs at this story, one from the perspective of the US government, the other from a cultural point of view. There have been many other such stabs: I especially like [...]

The butcher, the baker, and the cabbage gelder

As far as tedium goes, nothing competes with filling out a government form. How best to relieve the tedium? Invent stuff. Not out-and-out lie, just get a bit creative (OK, sometimes out-an-out lie: if I were to identify myself as a 90-year-old Azerbaijani woman or a Jedi knight, I would not be telling the truth) [...]

Bin Laden’s death – professional and personal significance

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US national security team changes

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Tom Rick’s blog at ForeignPolicy.com

Machine translation for the military

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Part I: The history of America’s multilingual military